Nodding her gratitude, she allowed him to slip it over her head and work her arms through it, being careful of the stitches in her side.
“Thank you Shane. I don’t know what I would have done…” her voice trailed off as her eyes slid to the side and her mind wandered.
Shane, not wanting to lose the connection, placed his large hand on her face, pulling it gently back to his. “Don’t be thanking me baby. I brought this shit to your door and I’m fuckin’ pissed at myself about that.” Shaking his head as he looked down toward his feet, “I was fuckin’ stupid to bring Sarge to you. I just…”
Annie reached up and mimicked his actions by cupping his strong jaw in her hand, pulling his face back up to hers. “I would have never wanted anything to have happened to Sarge. Or you.” At that, she saw Shane’s face gentle as he looked deeply into her eyes.
Leaning down, he placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Let’s get you home, baby.”
* * *
After helping her up the stairs to her apartment, he looked around carefully to see what work had been done.
“Shane, what is this?” Annie was looking at a box next to her front door.
“Security system, baby.”
“Since when do I have a security system?”
“Since this shit-storm hit you and your clinic. Now, I’m workin’ to keep that from blowin’ back on you again.”
Her eyes cut over to a similar box on the wall next to the kitchen…door? “What happened to my kitchen door?”
“Baby. The one you had was old, coulda been kicked in easily, and was half glass. Seriously? A shit door, baby.”
“But, it had a window. I could look out.”
“Baby, what the fuck? Yeah, you could look out, but then anyone could look in.” Shane saw the irritated look on her face and rubbed his hand through his hair. Not used to explaining himself to anyone, he realized that he needed to get her on board with the new security changes.
Walking over to where she stood, he held her in his arms, feeling the tension radiating from her. Sighing, he began again. “Annie baby. The door you had was an old wooden door with a full window at the top. Yes, it let in some light, but it also offered no privacy or protection. This is a steel door, with a peep-hole at the exact height that you are so that you can easily see who is on the other side. It even has one-eighty degree viewing so that you can see if there is someone on the steps.”
Turning his body to face the front door, with her still tucked in his embrace, he continued. “You got a security system on both doors. You arm them when you leave, even if you are goin’ down to the clinic, and then you arm them again when you come back in.”
Annie shifted in his embrace, wincing slightly, a movement that did not go unnoticed by him. Looking up, she said, “I appreciate all that you have done. Really. But, I can’t afford this. The clinic is doing well, but once all the clinic expenses are paid and my student loan payment is sent off, there isn’t a lot left over right now.”
Looking down, he felt lost in her green eyes. Cooper hair fell in waves framing her face. Shiny. Clean. Sunshine. “What I said in the hospital is true, Annie. What happened with us was real. We’re gonna ride that as far as we can and see where it takes us. Things go the way I think they will, you and I will be movin’ out and you’ll get that clinic in the country, and we’ll leave this shit behind. Something happens and we decide we’re not an us, then you still got a security system that’ll give me peace of mind. One way or the other, I want you safe.”
Confusion wrinkled her brow as she murmured in his chest. “You think we’re an us?”
She felt his chuckle rumble against her cheek.
“Hell yeah, baby. I know we’re an us. Told you, I never played you. We were an us from the moment you let me in to take care of Sarge. We continued to be an us when we first kissed. And we were solidly an us when my dick was inside of you.”
Gasping, she looked back up into his face ready to give a pissed off retort then she looked into his eyes. Blue eyes that no longer hid his thoughts. Blue eyes that she could now read. Blue eyes that were twinkling. I didn’t know they could twinkle. Deciding that she liked that look, she gave in.
“Okay, the security system stays.”
“Thank fuck,” he replied, “cause I sure as hell wasn’t callin’ my friends back in to remove it.” He moved her over to the sofa where he sat and gently settled her down on his lap, carefully avoiding her injured side.
“Friends?” she asked.
“Yeah, baby. I got friends. I’m enjoyin’ spending some time with them since I’ve been under and off the radar for two years. Got some friends workin’ in security systems and they jumped at the chance to help me make you safe.”